From Santa Anita Publicity
ARCADIA, Calif. (March 22, 2015)–Odds-on favorite Wild in the Saddle made short work of three California-bred or sired fillies and mares in taking Sunday’s $100,000 Dream of Summer Stakes for Golden State Series eligible by 6 ¼ lengths under Rafael Bejarano. Trained by Richard Baltas, the 6-year-old mare by Silic was attentive to a fast pace and took charge midway around the far turn en route to getting a flat mile in 1:36.73.
Ridden by Elvis Trujillo, Sudden Sunday, who broke from the inside, was hustled to a narrow advantage over the winner into and around the Club House turn, but Wild in the Saddle opened up leaving the quarter pole and the Dream of Summer was over.
“The trainer told me to go to the lead, but when I saw Sudden Sunday rushing too much into the first turn, I just decided to let her go,” said Bejarano. “My horse doesn’t have to be on the lead and the way she was going I didn’t have to worry about the lead. I was holding her as long as I could and when we hit the three eighths pole, I asked her to pick it up and she showed me a big kick. She won easy.”
With no show wagering, Wild in the Saddle was off at 3-5 and paid $3.40 and $2.40. Owned by Nadine Anderson and Cheyenne Ortiz, Wild in the Saddle was bred in California by Dinesh Maniar. The Dream of Summer marked Wild in the Saddle’s first stakes win and improved her overall mark to 34-8-1-9. With the winner’s share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $289,318.
“She’s starting to relax in her training finally,” said David Meah, assistant to Baltas, who is currently out of town. “It took a long time to get there. I think she can go a mile and a sixteenth and I think anywhere from seven furlongs, that will be her thing…It pays to have a Cal-bred.
The longest shot in the field at 7-1, Melanistic, who was ridden by Tyler Baze, moved into contention when a close third going into the far turn and proved second best, finishing 4 ¼ lengths in front of Grazenette. Melanistic paid $4.40 to place.
Fractions on the race were 22.63, 46.13, 1:11.15 and 1:23.94.
With a Pick Six carryover of $92,696.80 coming into Sunday, today’s total Pick Six pool reached $641,020.62, and there was just one winning ticket, worth $385,622.40. The ticket was purchased for an as-yet undisclosed amount through the Elite Turf Club wagering hub.